TINA: Single

The Best (1989)

Tina Turner - The Best - Single

The Best is a rock song, originally released by Bonnie Tyler in 1988, but only with minor success. One year later, Tina covered it for her album Foreign Affair and released it as the first and highly successful single. She promoted the song at several TV-Shows in Europe and performed it live at every concert tour. Live versions are available on the Do You Want Some Action! home video from 199o and the album TINA Live from 2009. The song became Tina Turner's anthem and has been repeatedly used at various ceremonies and sport events. It became also the theme tune for the New South Wales Rugby League in Australia in the early 90's, promoted from Tina several times with TV commercials and two exclusive Australian releases with the Winfield Cup Edition in 1990 and the Grand Final Edition in 1993. Tina re-recorded the song together with Jimmy Barnes in 1992 under the slightly different title Simply The Best, which was also available as a bonus on the Simply The Best album in Australia. On April 19, 2010, fans from the Scottish Rangers football club began a campaign to get „The Best“ to number one, coinciding with the team taking the Scottish Premier League title. It subsequently charted at #1 in Scotland and #9 in England. In 2020, all mixes have been released also digitally and in 2021, a previously unheard Demo was released to promote the Foreign Affair (Deluxe Edition).

PhotographerPeter Lindbergh
Release: August 1989 / 2010 (Karaoke) / July 2020 (Digital)
Label: Capitol / EMI
Format: 7“ Vinyl / 12“ Vinyl / 3“ CD / 5“ CD / Cassette / Digital
Charts: Europe: #3, #1 (Airplay) / Germany: #4 / Australia: #4 / UK: #5 (1989), #9 (2010) / USA: #15
Certifications: UK: 1x Silver
AlbumForeign Affair

  1. The Best (Edit) 4:10
  2. From the 7" record / Writer: Holly Knight, Mike Chapman / Producer: Dan Hartman, Tina Turner / James Ralston: Rhythm Guitar / Gene Black: Rhythm Guitar / Dan Hartman: Acoustic Guitar and Keyboards / Pat Thrall: Power Theme Guitar / Phil Ashley: Keyboards and Bass Pulse / Elliot Lewis: Additional Theme Keyboards and Strings / Phillipe Saisse: Additional Bridge Keyboards / Edgar Winter: Sax Solo / T.M. Stevens: Bass / Art Wood: Drums / Lance Ellington, Tessa Niles and Dan Hartman: Backing Vocals / Arranged by Tina Turner / Recorded by Chris Lord-Alge
  3. The Best (Album Version) 5:30
  4. From the 5" disc & 12" record
  5. The Best (Extended Special Remix) 8:29
  6. From the DJ sampler 'Ultrasound'
  7. The Best (Turntable Remix) 5:31
  8. From the DMC sampler 'Commercial Collection 172' from May 1997 / Remix by Rod Layman / BMP 114
  9. The Best (DJ Cut-Up) 4:52
  10. From the DMC sampler 'Commercial Collection 306' / Remix by Mark Jason / BMP 126
  11. The Best (Single Muscle Mix) 4:16
  12. The Best (Extended Mighty Mix) 6:36
  13. The Best (Extended Muscle Mix) 5:29
  14. Remix by John Luongo / Digital
  15. The Best (Karaoke Edition) 5:32
  16. Digital download
    Additional tracks:
  1. Undercover Agent For The Blues 5:19
  2. Taken from the album 'Foreign Affair'
  3. What’s Love Got To Do With It 3:48
  4. From the 7" postcard pack / Taken from the album 'Private Dancer'
  5. Bold And Reckless 3:48
  6. From the 5" disc & 12" record / Previously Unreleased / Written by Rupert Hine, Jeanette Obstoj / Produced by Rupert Hine
Tina Turner - The Best - Single

The concept for the music video was Tina‘s idea. It shows her in a black dress, singing and dancing in the Mojave dessert and riding a horse during the saxophone part. The clip was originally released on the Foreign Affair EP on VHS and later on the Simply The Best video collection on DVD. It’s also available as a HD remastered version on the Foreign Affair (Deluxe Edition). Otherwise unreleased alternate scenes with Tina riding the horse were shown in the TV-Special Tina Turner Giving Her Best from VH1 in 1989.

Director: Lol Creme
Producer: Lexi Godfrey
Release: Foreign Affair EP / Simply The Best / Foreign Affair (Deluxe Edition) / YouTube
Time: 4:11

Tina Turner - The Best - Music Video

Foreign Affair Promo Interview

I'm responsible for the arrangement on that one, because I changed it a lot… And it's the best! That song, I was in L.A. at the time, and everytime I was in my jeep driving I'd blast it because it was the best. It was… It makes you feel, even if you’re not in love with that song. You just feel that someone is there that's the best. You know when someone is really right, they’re the best. It doesn’t matter that they’re not as pretty or as great or as rich as someone else. You’re just the best. That song is so good for so many feelings and so many situations, and the best! I had to have it, I wanted it.

Tina Turner - The Best - Single

CashBox - September 30, 1989

… "I just wanted the horse, and that feeling of being at one with the wind. The idea came to me while I was driving along in my Jeep.” The video is a pretty stunning affair, based on the metaphor of Tina Turner and her racehorse-like legs. It goes trot, trot, Tina’s legs, trot, trot, horse’s legs, trot, trot. “In some of the rushes our skin color and muscles are so alike, I can’t tell which is mine and which is his.”

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